Gerrit Cole gets Astros past Tigers in series finale

Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches in the first inning of an MLB game at Minute Maid Park, Thursday, August 22, 2019.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches in the first inning of an MLB game at Minute Maid Park, Thursday, August 22, 2019.

Photo: Karen Warren/Staff Photographer

Photo: Karen Warren/Staff Photographer

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches in the first inning of an MLB game at Minute Maid Park, Thursday, August 22, 2019.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches in the first inning of an MLB game at Minute Maid Park, Thursday, August 22, 2019.

Photo: Karen Warren/Staff Photographer

Gerrit Cole gets Astros past Tigers in series finale

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With all due respect to a flawed sitcom character, 2019 is not the summer of George. It belongs, thus far, to Gerrit Cole.

Returning from a two-week injury absence due to hamstring issues, the Astros righthander won his ninth game of the summer of '19 and his 11th straight without a loss Thursday night, striking out 12 with two hits through seven shutout innings in a 6-3 win over the Tigers at Minute Maid Park.

Cole (15-5) has not lost since May 22 and over the last three months has had five no-decisions along with 11 wins, lifting him into legitimate contention alongside teammate Justin Verlander in the American League Cy Young Award speculation.

He needs one more win to tie Wade Miller in 2002 and Mark Portugal in 1993 for the club record with 12 consecutive victories in the same season.

And, unlike the aforementioned "Seinfeld" character who came a cropper in his quest for a memorable summer, he's hale and hearty in his return from injury.

Cole authored the Astros' second sterling pitching performance of the Tigers series, coming on the heels of Verlander's two-hit complete game Wednesday.

But unlike that 2-1 loss, Houston's bats backed up their starter with timely hits, including a two-run home run by Alex Bregman in the fourth inning and three hits with two RBIs by Michael Brantley, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games.